Antagonist

Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Adolf Hitler

For the same reasons that Adolf Hitler stands out as the protagonist, he's the book's clear antagonist too. In Shirer's account, Hitler and Hitler alone was responsible for building the Third Reich and bringing it to ruin—and, in doing so, causing the slaughter of countless millions through genocide and war. The same megalomania that enabled his successes resulted in total destruction, including his own.